Ragnarok
by Ri2
Summary: Dib does something so horrible to Zim, our favorite Irken goes insane and destroys the planet. What did Dib do that was so awful? Read and see..


Hello all readers. If any of you have read Ultimate Invader or Zim Fandango, authored by myself, I think you might like this. If you have not read either of my other stories, GO READ THEM NOW! THE FIST COMMANDS YOU! I'll wait. Okay, you're back? Good. In that case, we can get this thing started.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim. I do not own Norse mythology.  
  
In a basement laboratory, a metal door slid open. A figure walked into the dark room. The room's only occupant glared at the figure with a look that exceeded mere hatred and loathing. The room's occupant was fairly small, much shorter than you would expect a fifteen-year-old to be. Of course, he wasn't really fifteen. Or human, for that matter. He was strapped onto a cold metal table, cables latching onto his skin. A control panel lay next to the table, waiting for a user. The figure that had entered switched on the lights, all of which were pointed at the table. "Well Zim, how are we feeling today?"  
  
"Korvakh op fighaben." Rot in hell, human.  
  
The figure smiled and walked over to the control panel, pressing a button. The person on the table lurched as a thousand volts of electricity pulsed through his body. Despite the unbelievable pain shooting through the prisoner, he would not scream. The captor found that impressive. The electricity eventually switched off. The being on the table gritted his zipper-like teeth in pain. "Let's try that again, shall we? How are you feeling today?"  
  
"Slark off, Dib."  
  
Dib pressed the shock button again, pumping Zim's body with more electricity. "One more time…"  
  
"I am feeling like ripping your pancreas out of your chest if you ever make the mistake of loosening my bonds by even a millimeter."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Very depressed."  
  
"Good. How does it feel to be beaten by a mere human, alien?" asked Dib.  
  
"Beaten? You have done more than beat me, Dib. You have destroyed me."  
  
Dib grinned. "Good! Now, let's begin the interrogation, shall we?"  
  
"No, let's not."  
  
"Do you want another taste of the electric restraints?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Dib frowned, This wasn't how it was supposed to work. "As I was saying, let's begin the interrogation. What planet are you from?"  
  
"None of your business."  
  
Dib pressed the shock button. When the electric display was over, he said, "I'll ask you again. What planet are you from?"  
  
"You can't pry secrets from an Invader, Dib. We have all undergone strict military training to make us not only the elite at fighting, but also at protocol and keeping secrets. I'm not telling you anything that can be used against my people. No weaknesses, at least."  
  
Dib snorted. "I already know all your weaknesses. Water and bologna hurt you. What else is there?"  
  
Zim snickered. "Yeah, like I'd tell you."  
  
"You mean there are more?" asked Dib eagerly.  
  
"Now, I didn't say that."  
  
"Tell me or I'll shock you again!"  
  
"Whatever."  
  
Dib proceeded to shock Zim again, once again noting that Zim would not scream. "Why won't you scream? I'm torturing you! You're supposed to scream!"  
  
Zim grimaced. "You're torturing me just to hear me scream? I was right. You humans are less than sadistic barbarians."  
  
"Hey, we're not the ones destroying entire civilizations."  
  
"Neither are we, but the truth is that your people have destroyed entire civilizations."  
  
Dib frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You humans have been killing each other off slowly ever since you had the misfortune to evolve from the stinky primates that still roam the planet. You have destroyed great cultures merely because they do not conform to your views. Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Israel, Aztecs, Mayans, Incas-the list goes on and on. And don't get me started with all the problems in the Middle East."  
  
"Oh, like you're any better. How can a race that destroys entire planets dare to call somebody like us barbaric?"  
  
"We don't destroy planets, Dib. We don't even enslave the inhabitants. We merely conquer them to protect them from the other forces out there."  
  
"Sounds a lot like how the Europeans destroyed cultures to supposedly save them."  
  
"No, aren't you listening? There is no comparison between your people and mine. We do not try to make the citizens of our planets conform to our religion or change their way of life. We just encourage a little growth and evolution, something your race has needed for thousands of years."  
  
Dib cocked his head. "Well, what makes you think we can't evolve by ourselves? Why do you think you have to make people evolve? Maybe they're happy by themselves."  
  
Zim snorted. "Can you honestly say you're happy as you are, Dib? A loner? A reject of society, one who is scorned by others, a loser and a teenager with a big head?"  
  
"MY HEAD IS NOT BIG!" the human shouted, a vein bulging on his massive forehead. "Anyway, that'll all change once I show them you! Once I give them the photographs, the stolen technology, your vivisected carcass, they'll all believe me! I'll be famous! I'll be loved! I'll get a girlfriend!"  
  
Zim laughed harshly. "Your dreams are as empty as that huge skull of yours. Even with proof, no one will ever believe you. Once a reject, always a reject, isn't that how your society works? Everyone will just think you're an insane person with a lot of time on his hands."  
  
Dib bristled at that. "We'll see about that. But like I was saying, why don't you think we can evolve on our own?"  
  
"Dib, look around you. The people on your world are so stupid, they can't even look through my obvious disguise. They drink sodas called Poop Cola! They live in absolute filth, rarely bathing, if ever! They can hardly even think or string two words together, most of the fools. And you actually want to protect them from my race, to keep them from ever finding their true potential? As I said before, you're all barbarians."  
  
Dib frowned. "You know, things could get a lot better for you if you would stop insulting me and tell me everything I want to know."  
  
"Oh, like you'd actually let me go. I'm not that stupid, Dib. I know you'll kill me either way." Zim said flatly.  
  
Dib kept frowning, almost looking concerned. "What's wrong, Zim? You seem so dejected as of late. You used to be so full of energy and life. What happened?"  
  
Zim turned his head to look at Dib. The human recoiled slightly, a bit surprised as his enemy's glare had turned even more hateful. "Where should I begin? You tricked me into getting out of my house so you could trap me, you've kept me on this horrible table for the last week, you killed Gir when he tried to save me, and you've been torturing me nonstop. I have no hope of ever escaping you or being rescued. Why should I be happy?"  
  
Dib shrugged. "Hey, it's only fair considering what you've done to me."  
  
"Oh really? Everything I've ever done to you has just been retaliation for what you've done to me. Military law states that any offenses to the person of an Invader must be revenged."  
  
"What about the time you sent the entire class hurtling into a wormhole to a room with a moose?"  
  
"You were giving me a really bad day."  
  
"What about the time you tried to turn my insides out?"  
  
"You infiltrated my base and tried to blow it up."  
  
"What about the time you tried to turn me into bologna?"  
  
"You hit me with a piece of bologna at lunch that day."  
  
"What about the time you dropped a giant water balloon on me, flooding half the city?"  
  
"You wouldn't stop pestering me with water balloons."  
  
"What about when you tapped into my subconscious to make me dream I was an all-powerful and cool guy who saved the planet from your race but it was all just a clever ruse to get information from me?"  
  
"You hit me with a muffin at school."  
  
"Don't you think those are a little too extreme when it comes to retaliating?"  
  
"The rules say I have to retaliate, they don't say how extreme the retaliation can go."  
  
"Whatever. So I killed your stupid android and locked you up down here. You're not human, so I'm not breaking any laws."  
  
"Not breaking any laws? I may not be human, but I am a person nonetheless. So are you going to just stand there or do something?"  
  
Dib scowled, then smiled nastily. He reached into a pocket on his trench coat. "Actually, I think there's something you should know about, Zim. Just last night, while I was dissecting your pod, I found a distress beacon. And it was on."  
  
Zim blinked. "You found the distress beacon?"  
  
"Yes, and it seems to have been on since I ripped it off of you at the beginning of this. I also found a tracker of sorts in the pod, and it seemed to be showing one of your ships entering the atmosphere, probably to answer the beacon."  
  
"Oh no…"  
  
"Oh yes. I calculated the trajectory, got a gun and a camera, and showed up at the landing site. Before the alien could do anything, I snapped a photo and shot it dead. The corpse is somewhere else in the lap, along with the ship." Dib pulled a photograph from his pocket. "This is the alien. Maybe you can tell me who it is?"  
  
A bit reluctantly, Zim looked at the photograph. His eyes widened. "No! It can't be…she wouldn't…you couldn't have…"  
  
"What's wrong, Zim? Somebody you know? A friend of yours? Maybe a member of your family?"  
  
Zim started shaking. "YOU SLARKING BASTARD, THAT WAS MY WIFE!"  
  
Dib was surprised. "Wife? I didn't know you had a wife! You're not wearing a ring, and I thought you were too young to be married."  
  
"I'm one hundred and twenty five years old, monster! That's old enough to be married!"  
  
"You must not have loved her very much."  
  
"Loved her? Loved her?!? She meant everything to me!"  
  
"Then why did you leave her to come to Earth?"  
  
"Oh, like I had a choice. I had to come here. I was assigned this planet." Zim lied. Well, about the last part at least. "I said goodbye to her before I left. I kept in touch with her over the years. She was the only thing keeping me going on this disgusting, stinky, filthy backwater excuse for a planet! And now she's gone. You have crossed into deep territory, human. You are messing with forces you cannot comprehend. When the Armada gets here, they will make you pay for my death and the death of Rana. I know they hate me up there, but I am still an Invader and my rights and honor still remain. You WILL pay."  
  
Dub shrugged. "Whatever. I'll just kill them all when they get here as well."  
  
Zim snorted disgustedly. "You speak so calmly and callously about killing other sentient beings? You are a truly horrible example of your race. I take back what I said before, Dib. You're not a barbarian or a monster. You're a demon."  
  
Dib chuckled. "Well, that would have to make my father Satan instead of Professor Membrane, wouldn't it?"  
  
"Don't be so sure, you could be adopted. After all, your father doesn't share your BIG HEAD!"  
  
Dib snapped. Looming over the control panel, he twisted several knobs and pressed the shock button again, this time pumping one hundred million volts of electricity into the Irken's body. The pain was more intense than anything Zim had felt before, worse even than water. Trying to strengthen his resolve, he kept thinking, I will not scream, I will not scream, I will not… It was too much. Despite his discipline, he could not take it anymore. He screamed. Dib laughed maliciously, enjoying every second of his rival's pain. "Ahahahahahahahahaha! Not so high and mighty now, eh Zim?"  
  
Zim kept screaming, unable to hear Dib's taunts. As the pain came to a great crescendo, something in his mind broke open. Something came awake. Zim closed his eyes, clenching his fists while continuing his screams. His claws started glowing purple-black, contrasting to the glow from the electricity. Dib frowned, confused. Zim had never been able to glow before. What was going on? With a final shout, Zim suddenly ripped the restraints off of the table, ending the flow of electricity and freeing himself. Dib gasped and stepped back as Zim stood up, his body trembling from anger. Turning to Dib, he roared and leapt onto the human, clawing at Dib's face before dropping tot he ground. As Dib clutched the place where he had been scratched, Zim kicked him in the groin, dropping the human to the floor. Zim started glowing purple-black all over, then shot off, zigzagging at incredible speed out the door, through the basement, out of the Membrane household, and down the street, dashing for his home base, which Dib had strangely left alone. He dashed past the lawn gnomes and through the door, closing it behind him. A he stood in the living room for a moment, he panted, the glow fading away. And he wondered what had done that. What had just happened? How had he called up that power? He doubted he had time for that kind of pondering now, he had to prepare for Dib's arrival. And also make a last call. "Computer, the lab!" The floor beneath Zim lowered, taking him to the subterranean fortress. He quickly made his way to the communications room and dialed up the Armada. A display on the big screen lit up, showing a recorded message. "You have contacted the Irken Armada. Please dial in the number of the ship you wish to contact." Zim punched in the numbers for the Massive. The screen changed. "Thank you. Please dial the number for the section of the ship you wish to contact." Zim punched in the numbers for the bridge. "Thank you. Your call is important to us. Please hold." The message vanished, leaving a large Irken sigil on the screen as easy-listening music started playing. Zim grumbled. "Stupid call waiting. They probably installed this on purpose just to make it harder for me to call them." After fifteen minutes, the screen changed to a view of the bridge of the Massive. In the two big chairs that the Tallest sat in were two big puppets made to look like the Tallest. Zim could see the strings that moved the puppet leading tot he backs of the chairs, where the leaders of the Irken Empire were hiding in an attempt to mock him. Zim sighed. It was time to end this charade. "For the love of Urk, I can tell those things are puppets. I'm not that stupid."  
  
A little disappointed, Red and Purple got out from behind the chairs and threw the puppets out of their seats, sitting down. "How'd you know it wasn't us?" whined Red.  
  
"I'm not as dumb as you think I am. Look, there are some really important things I have to say and there isn't much time."  
  
"Uh, actually we've got another call waiting, so…" said Purple quickly.  
  
"You can stop the games now, sirs. I knew this mission was a bum assignment from the very beginning."  
  
The Tallest stared at him in stony silence. "You did?" asked Red.  
  
"As I said, I'm not that stupid. Did you really think I would believe that something as stupid as Gir could ever be advanced?"  
  
"Then why didn't you just tell us you knew?" asked Purple.  
  
"Because there wasn't much point in that. The truth is, I knew I deserved whatever you were giving me. After all that I did in OIDI, I'm still surprised you didn't just kill me. But I don't have time for this reminiscing right now, I have very urgent news."  
  
"Well, what is it?" asked Red, still a bit shocked that Zim had actually managed to fool them for the last five years.  
  
"One week ago, the Dib captured me when I was off guard, imprisoning me in this horrible torture chamber in his father's laboratory. He removed my utility pod to keep me from escaping, and constantly tortured me with thousands of volts of electricity. When Gir tried to rescue me three days ago, Dib lured him into a trap with a plate of taquitos and detonated a bomb, destroying Gir." Zim paused, looking sad. "He always did want to explode. But things got worse. I refused to tell him anything, but he never even asked questions most of the time, he just kept hurting me for no reason. And he enjoyed it."  
  
The Tallest were evidently disgusted. "How can somebody so tall be so demented?" asked Red, making a gagging face.  
  
"He's crazy. But like I said, things got worse. Last night, it seems, he found the distress beacon in my pod and discovered somebody was already coming to my rescue. When the Irken who got the beacon landed, Dib killed my rescuer and stowed her away somewhere."  
  
"Who was she?" asked Purple quietly.  
  
"Rana."  
  
There was another stony silence. "He…he killed Rana?" asked Purple in disbelief.  
  
"Zim, wasn't she your-" started Red.  
  
"Yes. She was." Said Zim.  
  
"The human will pay for this. When the Armada gets to your galaxy, we'll show him the Irken justice system." Promised Purple.  
  
"I am afraid that will not be necessary, sirs. I am sure that as we speak, the Dib is rounding up a group of authorities in an attempt to storm the house. I will be waiting for him. When they get here, I plan to invite Dib inside for a one-on-one final battle. When he enters the house, I will trigger the self-destruct, eliminating Dib and myself as well. This will prevent him from doing any harm to you or the rest of the Armada when you arrive."  
  
"Isn't there another way? Can't you just escape?" asked Red.  
  
"If I escape, they will just keep chasing me. It is dishonorable for an Invader to merely run from his problems. I am the only one who can take Dib out. The only one who has to take him out. I demand retribution for the death of my wife, and I will get it."  
  
There was yet another silence, this one more uncomfortable then stony. "Well, I guess this is goodbye then." Said Purple, actually feeling sorry for the tiny Irken.  
  
Zim nodded. "I have one more thing to say. I want to apologize for what I did back in Jasquez. I don't really remember what happened, or why, but I want to say I am truly sorry for all the inconvenience I've caused." He hesitated. "For the last time, Invader Zim, signing out." Zim cut off the transmission. For some reason, it felt like he was cutting off the last vestiges of contact between him and the rest of the Irken race.  
  
He sat down in the crescent-shaped chair behind him. He looked at his boots sadly. He felt lonely. He wanted Gir. He wanted Rana. But they were gone, and he had never even gotten to see them before they had died. It was all Dib's fault. All his fault. Zim was surprised to find a tear running down his cheek. Should he cry? No. He was an Irken, a member of the supreme race in the universe, one of the ultimate life forms. He was an Invader, a proud soldier, a conqueror of worlds. He was too strong to cry. He was too strong to…He broke down, holding his head in his hands as the tears came. And then, a voice in the back of his head spoke up. Pathetic.  
  
Zim stopped. "What? Who said that?"  
  
I did.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
One who wishes to offer you aid.  
  
"What kind of aid?"  
  
I am the one that lent you the power that allowed you to escape from your tormentor. You called upon me, your anger and your sadness giving me purchase and allowing me to come into your mind once again.  
  
"Once again? You've been in my mind before?"  
  
Of course. You don't remember? Oh right, of course you can't. I erased your memory myself.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
I am the one who destroyed half of Jasquez at the beginning of Operation Impending Doom.  
  
1 "But that was me…"  
  
1.1 No, it was I in your body. You were a perfect host for me to use, and once I departed I erased your memory and left you to take the blame.  
  
"You tell me all this and yet you expect me to accept your offer? Just who are you?"  
  
I have had many names throughout history, but the name you Irkens call me by is the Dark One.  
  
"The Devil!"  
  
Yes.  
  
"Why do you want to help me? What kind of help are you even offering?"  
  
I will awaken your dark side for a time, using it as I did before to rain doom upon the citizens of a planet. With the help of my magic, you/I will be unstoppable, destroying the planet Earth and reducing all who dwell on it to a pile of blood and flesh.  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
Because I want to kill. It is my nature, after all. And besides, do you not want revenge on Dib? I can give you that.  
  
"No! I will not be your tool. I will not be used to destroy again. I refuse to be your vessel."  
  
You do not want my aid?  
  
"No! Go away, evil one! Get out of my head! I will not be your pawn!"  
  
Who says you have a choice? Hissed the Dark One. Zim gasped and clutched his head, pain shooting through his mind. He could sense the dark god's tendrils seeping into his brain. He struggled, trying to resist, but it was no good. Screaming, he fell to the ground, shutting his eyes. He got up a second later, opening his eyes. They were not his own.  
  
A large group of police, soldiers, and tanks were in the cul de sac, all their guns aimed at Zim's house. Dib walked out of the crowd, glaring at Zim's home. Holding a megaphone to his mouth, the Dib yelled, "Come out Zim! We know you're in there! We've got water cannons and we're not afraid to use them if you pull any weird tricks like you did the last time!" There was no response from the house. No angry retort, no laser fire from the gnome guards, no insults or cries of anger. Nothing. Dib raised the megaphone to his mouth again. "Hello? Zim? Can you hear me? Is there anybody in there? Zim? ZIM! Get out here right now, you ugly monster!"  
  
There was a sudden creak. The soldiers tightened their fingers on the triggers of their guns, bazookas, and water pistols, all aimed at the front door. They were quite surprised when the roof split open, revealing a bare platform. On the platform stood their quarry, Zim. His eyes were closed for some reason. He walked to the edge of the platform and turned his head as if to look down at the intruders. He smirked. "Monster, am I? That's rich, coming from you Dib."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" yelled Dim through the megaphone.  
  
Zim laughed bitterly. "You think you can call me a monster after everything you put me through? All the pain, all the anguish? After all that, you call ME a monster? When all I was doing was trying to take over your planet so it could become better, so your people could become stronger, wiser, as I was commanded to do?" He shook his head. "In a way Dib, you are correct. I am a monster now, but only because of you. If you hadn't captured and tortured me, killed my servant and best friend, and also killed my wife, I wouldn't have changed. If it weren't for you…" He trailed off for a moment, as if thinking. His eyes still closed, he stood there for a moment. Finally, he said, "You came here trying to capture me, to take me back, to kill me. Go ahead. I dare you." Taking that as an invitation, a bunch of soldiers ran onto Zim's front lawn, expecting only to be attacked by the lawn gnome defense system. They were quite surprised when suddenly, metal tendrils ripped from the earth, grabbing the men and pulling them, screaming, back into the ground, the holes sealing after them. Gaping, the remaining soldiers aimed upwards, firing everything at Zim. As the bullets, rockets, and water streamed at Zim, he did nothing, just standing there. As the projectiles were about to hit him, they suddenly stopped in midair, disintegrating. Even Dib was surprised. And that's when Zim opened his eyes. A collective gasp came up from all the men. Instead of his usual bright red, Zim's eyes were now pitch black, as dark as the interior of a black hole. He laughed again. "Pathetic. You humans make me sick. In all my 125 years of life, I have never seen a more horrible, disgusting race. You kill each other for no reason, you destroy anything that does not make sense to you, you pollute and destroy your own world, and you ruin the futures of your own offspring. I can safely say that while you are not nearly as evil as some of the other races out there, you are the worst species to ever crawl out of the primordial ooze. Because of the cruelties you inflict upon each other, and have inflicted onto me, I now pass judgment on your planet, the destruction foretold by almost all of your religions, to ensure your fowl spawn never make it off this rock and destroy other worlds. Your judgement day is at hand, mortals, the Apocalypse, the Armageddon, Doomsday, whatever you want to call it. The day of reckoning has come. Ragnarok begins…now." He raised his right fist into the air, purple-black energy crackling around it. "Beasts of the Apocalypse, I conjure thee now. Arise from your dens in the burning hells and come forth to destroy this world as was promised by your creator long ago. The Wolf, the Serpent, the Dragon, awaken and serve your master's will! Bring doom onto the heads of the mortals!" His entire body started glowing, pulsing with power. "Awake!" A purple-black lightning bolt shot from his raised fist, streaming up into the air, coalescing into a swirling nexus of energy. The nexus flashed and dissipated, sending three balls of darkness off at separate vectors around the globe.  
  
The first ball rocketed at the speed of light to Australia, striking Ayers Rock with an explosion of blackness. The rock shook and cracked, exploding into a million fragments, revealing a huge figure, bound by enormous burning chains. The chains snapped, disintegrating. The figure shook itself free from the rubble, stepping onto the plains of the Outback, a two hundred-foot tall robot wolf. The wolf lifted its head and howled, a sound that could be heard across the entire continent. Fenrir was free at last.  
  
The second energy ball flew over Africa, diving into the Indian Ocean, sinking to the very bottom of the ocean. It struck the ground, exploding in darkness. The ground shook, causing a large seaquake that made many ocean volcanoes erupt. A massive fissure cracked open, glowing a flickering red and yellow. A million foot-long robot serpent with a width of fifty meters swam out, heading for the surface, hissing. Jormungand was free at last.  
  
The final energy ball streaked towards the North Pole, striking down at the exact point where the magnetic North Pole lay. The entire icecap shook. The patch of ice that the ball had struck began cracking, covering a surface of an entire acre. The ice shattered as the beast beneath the ice blasted it to smithereens. The creature that had been buried beneath the ice crawled to the surface, rearing onto its hind legs. It was a horrible creature, a monster so big that it would have caused even Godzilla to think thrice before challenging it. It was one hundred stories high, with a long, spiked tail and great jet wings. The beast was, of course, another robot, but what a robot! It was covered with what could only be weapons, including two huge cannons mounted on its back. It was a great dragon, larger even than the legendary Stardragons. The dragon roared and took to the air. Nidhogg was free at last.  
  
Back in Baltimore, Dib raised an eyebrow. "What? That's it? You just put on a fancy light show?"  
  
Zim shook his head. "No. Wait for it…" He looked up. "Ah, there he is." The soldiers looked up in time to see something blotting out the sun. The thing flew lower in the air, hovering just above Zim's house. All gaped in disbelief at the giant machine Zim had conjured up. "Pretty impressive, wouldn't you say? I have summoned the three dread beasts of Norse mythology, Fenrir, the wolf with the hide stronger than steel, Jormungand, the World Serpent, and Nidhogg, the dragon of destruction. Together, these three shall destroy the planet. Of course they will need a little assistance, provided by yours truly. The three brothers will make sure that every single stinking human is wiped off the face of the world." He grinned. "Nidhogg has been sleeping for a very, very long time and wants something to vent his rage on. I suggest you start running before that thing becomes you." Taking his advice to heart, the men dropped everything and ran screaming. Dib still stood there, shocked. "As for you, Dib, the one who has caused all this pain, I will save you for later. When the time is right, I will fulfill my vow of vengeance to you. But Nidhogg thirsts for blood, and the dragon must be satisfied. So for now, farewell." A port opened on the dragon's underside. Zim started glowing again, turning into a mass of purple-black energy before streaking upward, flying into the port, which closed behind him. The dragon flew away, looking for a worthy target. The global defense forces rallied on the news of the giant metal monsters, each scrambling to fight the beasts.  
  
Fenrir was immediately attacked by the Australian Air Force. Their missiles exploded harmlessly on Fenrir's hide. Hatches opened up on his back, his front and hind shoulders, his legs, and his chest. Hundreds of missiles streaked from the hatches, obliterating the first squadron to attack the canine. More came up, trying to hit him with napalm bombs. As the fighters started to open their bomb bays, Fenrir fired at them with lasers shooting from his snout and eyes, detonating the bombs in their holders, engulfing the ships in flame. Another squadron, this time armed with ballistic missiles, launched their payload, causing a direct hit and explosion on the target. But when the smoke cleared, Fenrir stood in the middle of a crater, completely untouched. Opening his mouth, Fenrir howled, firing a blast of superhot blue plasma at the planes, annihilating them. As they exploded, Fenrir calculated their trajectories, estimating they had launched from a city on the coast. The machine started running towards the target, which unfortunately turned out to be Sydney.  
  
Jormungand was detected by naval forces, which tried to take the serpent out. A fleet of submarines speeded towards the swimming serpent, launching their torpedoes at the snake. As the torpedoes sped for the serpent, Jormungand turned his head and screeched, causing a powerful sonar pulse. The torpedoes stopped, their targeting computers messed up by the sonar pulse. Turning around, the torpedoes streaked back for the submarines, destroying the surprised humans. Ships on the surface sent in more submarines and added depth charges to the fight. Not wanting to waste any more time, the snake easily slid past all the bombs and torpedoes sent at him, destroying any he wanted with a mere flick of his tail or another sonar pulse. After a long swim, the serpent surfaced, its head arcing out of the ocean. Jormungand was a little surprised to find himself in the middle of a large grouping of aircraft carriers, their guns pointed at him. Amused, the machine made no motion to attack or to escape as the ships fired their guns at him, making no dents or marks on his hide. Bored of this little game, Jormungand opened his mouth, spewing a stream of atomic fire at one of the ships. The fire, as if alive, streaked into every possible opening on the ship, trying to get to the ammunition bays and fuel tanks. The fire found the bays and tanks and detonated them, ripping the ship to pieces in a tremendous explosion. As the other ships frantically started to retreat, Jormungand dove into the water, swimming beneath each vessel. He surfaced suddenly, smashing through the hull of each ship, causing them to sink. As some of the sailors managed to tread water, the monstrous serpent loomed over them and unleashed another wave of atomic fire, wiping them out. His prey dead, Jormungand started swimming for shore.  
  
Nidhogg flew down the Interstate, blasting cars and pieces of ground to oblivion with its many weapons. The stealth fighters roared in, ready to assault the metal monstrosity. They launched dozens of missiles, all doing no damage. Zim prepared to retaliate. The eyes began to glow. Twelve missile ports opened on the giant cannons. Two chest plates flipped open, revealing fourteen more missile ports. Twelve more popped out of its arms, and a final twelve popped out of the legs. The dragon opened fire, launching two lasers and fifty missiles at the squadron, annihilating them. The extra missiles kept going until they ran out of fuel, crashing to the ground and killing more people. More and more squadrons poured in, each facing the same horrible death. Tanks and missiles fired at the dragon, none of which doing any damage. After Zim and Nidhogg had wiped out maybe half of the military in the entire state, the President made a desperate move, giving the order to launch a nuclear missile at the dragon. While more planes and tanks distracted the dragon, the deadly rocket was fired, streaking at Mach 3 for the enemy. After easily wiping out another few hundred soldiers, Zim detected the missile less than a mile away. Nidhogg turned to face it, looking like he was going to take it head-on. Even though the missile would not in fact do any damage, Zim didn't want to waste the weapon. Just before the missile hit, the possessed Irken used his awesome power to stop the nuke in midair, mentally reprogramming it. A new course laid in, the missile turned away, heading north. That out of the way, Zim continued flying down the interstate, destroying everything that moved or didn't move. Meanwhile, the nuke had quickly reached its destination, traveling at supersonic speeds to the biggest city in America, New York. As the military watched, helpless to stop it, the nuclear warhead flew through the middle of the city, ironically striking the still-under- reconstruction World Trade Center. The warhead detonated, reducing the island city to a pile of glowing rubble. Cackling at what he had just done, Zim boosted Nidhogg's speed, quickly reaching the heart of the nation, Washington D.C. Ignoring the smaller buildings and skyscrapers, the dragon flew higher into the air, looking down upon the terrified people below. He had a single target in mind, which he would destroy before anything else. Flying just above the Washington Monument, the dragon and alien looked across the way to the White House. With telescopic vision, it was easy to see that the facility was in vast commotion as the staff was trying to get the President out before it was too late. Zim didn't intend to let them. The dragon's mouth opened, the interior glowing as the cannon within charged up. The cannons on Nidhogg's back lowered, targeting and charging up. A light blinked on Zim's control panel, telling him it was safe to fire. Grinning, he pushed the fire button. The three Omega Cannons fired, sending a triple blast of energy forward, the charges intersecting to form a huge mass of power. The mass grew and grew as the three cannons kept feeding into it, until it was a shimmering ball of death the size of George Bush's ego. Pulsating, the ball unleashed its combined energy in the form of a single beam, shooting it at the White House. The beam struck the capital of the free world, resulting in an explosion that completely disintegrated everything on the ground within a ten-block radius. Laughing, Zim took Nidhogg higher, to achieve a better vantagepoint. Looking down upon the entire city, the dragon began unleashing death and destruction, raining doom from the sky. And throughout it all, the very figure of evil incarnate laughed.  
  
Hours later…Dib frantically threw everything he could carry into a suitcase, all his spare trench coats, a toothbrush, some underwear, his laptop, and several issues of Crop Circles Monthly. Struggling to lift the suitcase, Dib pulled the heavy object out of his room and down the stairs, knowing he had to escape before Zim returned. Not really caring that he was leaving Gaz and his dad behind to die, he planned on heading for the hills, to a place where he would never be found. Still lugging the suitcase, Dib ran past Gaz (who was sitting on the living room sofa playing on her Game Slave and watching TV) and headed for the front door. As he reached for the doorknob, the door exploded inward, pelting him with wooden splinters. Yelping, he dropped the suitcase and staggered back. Zim walked through the door. Screaming, Dib ran away, trying to get to the back door. As he ran past Gaz again, a wall of fire sprang up in the kitchen entrance, keeping him from passing. Similar walls sprang up at every entrance to the room. Zim walked through the fire unharmed, his eyes still darker than coal. Dib whimpered and fell to the ground. Zim said nothing, just staring at him for a few moments. He raised his right arm. A giant gun materialized over it, looking very nasty and dangerous. Zim lowered the gun, the barrel only inches away from Dib's big head. He gulped. "Gaz, help me!"  
  
Gaz sighed and saved her game, turning the thing off. She turned around. "Zim, are you going to kill my brother?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Ah, okay. Proceed."  
  
"Gaz!" wailed Dib.  
  
Gaz frowned at him. "What? You drank the last soda again, Dib. I've already told you, all the sodas do not belong to you. And you ate the last pizza again. Besides, you were going to abandon Dad and me. Not to mention the fact that this is all your fault anyway. I think Zim has every right to kill you."  
  
"Yes, I do." Zim said. "By the way, does it bother you in any way that when I fire this gun, the entire house will explode?"  
  
"Will I be dead?" she asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Go ahead, then. I was getting tired of this life anyway. I suppose there are better games in the afterlife."  
  
"Actually, there are." Said Zim. He looked back at Dib. "Any last words?"  
  
"Please don't hurt me? I'm, uh, sorry?"  
  
Laughing, Zim pulled the trigger. The house exploded. The gun on Zim's arm disintegrated. He walked away, leaving the burning ruins of the house behind. He heard a roar and looked up in time to see Nidhogg fly overhead, torching the neighborhood with his fire breath. He smiled for a moment, then concentrated, closing his eyes. A shadow leaked out of the Irken's head, pooling onto the ground. Once it was all out, Zim opened his eyes, which were red again. He angrily turned to the shadow on the ground. "How- how-how could you do this! Look at it all! You're destroying everything!"  
  
The shadow chuckled. "Yes, isn't it grand? I'm sorry you couldn't enjoy it, though. How about this: as compensation, I give you a quick death?"  
  
"How is that compensation?"  
  
"You will be with Rana again. Even though you were an excellent vessel, I cannot take your soul. You are too good a person. But at least I will get the satisfaction of another kill."  
  
"Do I have a choice?"  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
Zim sighed. "Fine. Do it."  
  
"With pleasure." The shadow shook for a moment, then exploded upwards, taking a three-dimensional form, a figure made of solid darkness. It was ten feet high, looking like an Irken but with no real features. It had three claws on each hand and two horns in place of antennae. The eyes were the only actual features, pits of red fire. The Dark One extended a long arm, placing his hand onto Zim's head, claws pointing downwards. "Now hold still, this won't hurt…me." The claws extended, piercing Zim's brain and killing him instantly. As purple blood started oozing from the holes, the Dark One retracted his claws and turned away when the small Irken fell to the ground. The Dark One slashed at the air, tearing a rip open in the fabric of space and time. The evil god walked through, returning to the burning hells. The rip sealed behind him.  
  
Darkness. Utter, total, but not remotely as dark as the void that had comprised the Dark One's body. Then, a flash of light and a tearing noise. Zim suddenly was standing up, exactly where he was before, looking at the desolation that had been Baltimore. He looked down and saw he was standing on himself, his corpse lay on the ground. Frightened, he got off the body. He felt a tap on his shoulder. Whirling around, he was confronted with an ominous figure. It was eight feet tall, covered in a black cloak. No face was visible in the hood, but Zim could make out two red, glowing eyes. Two hands stuck out from the long sleeves, both of them made of metal. In its right hand, the being held a humming laser scythe. There was only one possibility as to who this being was. "D-death?" The figure nodded. "I s- suppose you're here to take me now." The Grim Reaper nodded. Zim scratched the back of his head a little sheepishly. "I'm, uh, sorry for the mess I must have caused for you. I'm really-" The Reaper raised a robotic hand, shaking its head. "I guess it's no problem then. So, where am I going?" The Reaper pointed up. "And will I meet my wife and Gir there?" The Reaper nodded. "Then let's get going. I need to see them." The Reaper nodded and turned, raising its scythe. Performing an elegant move, the Reaper sliced into the fabric of space and time with its scythe, leaving a glowing tear. Stepping away, the Reaper pointed to the rift. Zim walked over, starting through the rip. He paused and turned around. "Thank you." Death shrugged, as if to say, It's all in a day's work. Zim walked through the tear, which sealed behind him. The Reaper turned and walked towards the ruins of the Membrane house. He had a lot of souls to reap today. Above the Reaper, the dragon Nidhogg soared, blasting what was left of the city into dust. And so the world crumbled and died, unable to defend against the three monsters. When their task was finally completed, and all humans had been reduced to a heap of red goo, the brothers returned to Hell, leaving an empty, dead planet behind.  
  
Well, how was that? Did you like my first and only angst fic? If so, leave it in your review. I promise that my next story, if it comes, will be much happier. Sorry for how this went, but I promise I won't do another story like this one again. The next story might be up soon. You'll just have to wait and see. 


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